| Annie Palmer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Nadia Sawalha | ||||||||
| Duration | 1997–1999 | ||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1446 6 May 1997 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 1790 10 June 1999 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Jane Harris | ||||||||
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Annie Palmer is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Nadia Sawalha, from 6 May 1997 to 10 June 1999.
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Sawalha spoke in an interview with Larry Jaffee about how she got the role of Annie, saying that she auditioned with many other actresses. She got through to the screen test with Victoria Gould, who played Polly Becker. Sawalha has said that the only two they screen-tested were her and Victoria Gould: "We were always going to get the job. They hadn’t decided which way they were going to go (who was going to be Annie and who Polly). They always have a vague idea of they want, and then they build the character around the person they choose. I was pleased when they turned it around." [1] She also said she enjoyed playing "such a devilsome lady". [1] Sawalha originally believed she may not be right for EastEnders saying,“My father is Arabic and my mother English. I just thought that I was too exotic — that there wasn’t enough call for a foreigner.” [1] In September 1998 it was revealed that Sawalha had quit the role. [2]
When Annie arrived in Albert Square in 1997, she is believed to be a former business associate of George Palmer (Paul Moriarty). Together they open a print shop called "By The Letter" to cover their illegal deals, but Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) catches them hugging. Grant's mother Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) is dating George, so Grant tells her what he has seen; when Peggy confronts George, he tells her that Annie is his daughter. Annie takes over George's nightclub, The Cobra Club, renames it The Market Cellar, and uses it to facilitate her money-laundering operations and illegal gambling. Like her father, Annie is well-connected in the business world; the Palmer name also carries serious clout in the underworld. Annie soon builds herself a small business empire in Albert Square. She gets most of the local council on side and she is instrumental in helping Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) run for a council seat. She owns a significant share of the Walford Health Club with Grant, and starts a loan-shark business with his brother Phil (Steve McFadden), not to mention her continuous dealing in money-laundering scams.
Annie is shrewd and smart and completely averse to showing any emotion, which comes from a desperate need to prove that she can cut it in a male-dominated business. She wants to show her father that she can do her job as good as, if not better than, any man. But Annie's tough exterior masks a hidden vulnerability, so she rarely allows men to get close to her. She has flings with Conor Flaherty (Seán Gleeson) (her loan-shark 'heavy') and Phil at the same time, and relishes watching them compete against each other for her affections. She later becomes close to her childhood friend Gianni di Marco (Marc Bannerman), but when they look likely to embark on a serious relationship, Annie's father drops the bombshell that Gianni may be his son. It is revealed that George had had an affair with Gianni's mother Rosa (Louise Jameson) behind Rosa's husband's back, and Gianni's paternity is unknown. The realisation that he could have been having an incestuous relationship with Annie devastates Gianni, and he cuts all ties with both George and Annie. Blood tests later confirm that George isn't Gianni's father, which devastates him as he has always longed for a son who would inherit the family business. Seeing her father's devastation, Annie shows some rare emotion and tells him she'd always sensed his desperation for a son and that is why she'd always strived so hard to prove her worth. Unable to deal with Annie's emotion, George leaves England in 1998, leaving Annie to run their businesses on her own.
Annie's loan-shark business hits a setback in 1999, when she dabbles on the turf of a rival business gang. Refusing to cede after receiving threats, she is beaten nearly to death by the gang's heavies. Although she shows a brave front, her confidence is severely undermined. Annie later becomes involved with fellow businessman Steve Owen (Martin Kemp); the two are locked in a cat-and-mouse game of one-upmanship with each other. He manages to get through her prickly defences, and even manages to buy her nightclub, which he renames The E20. Annie hears news her father has been arrested in New Zealand for tax evasion so she turns to Steve for support and comfort, but he rejects her, leaving her humiliated. To get back at him, she sells her health-club shares to Grant instead of him, but it is a hollow victory and in June 1999 she leaves Walford. She lives with her father in New Zealand, where his import/export business is based.
Author Kate Lock described her as "a rather terrifying creation, a kind of dominatrix without the dungeon. A verbal Miss Whiplash, she tore strips off anyone who crosses her." [3] The BBC described her as a 'tough-nut business woman'. [4] She was also described as 'tough' and 'steel'. [5] She was voted by What's on TV as the 85 sexiest soap sirens of all time out of 100. [5] When Nadia announced her decision to leave it was described by The Mirror 'as a real shock' and that 'Her character, scheming Annie Palmer, has proved one of the most watchable in recent years.' [2]
Nadia Sawalha is an English actress, television personality, writer, TV Cook and Vlogger. She is best known as a long-term regular panellist on the ITV daytime talk show Loose Women, being one of the original panellists from its start in 1999 until 2002, before returning to the show in 2013 after a panellist revamp. She played the role of Gina in ITV comedy Second Thoughts from 1992 to 1994, and Annie Palmer on the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1997 to 1999. She has also had minor roles in The Bill, Casualty, Benidorm and 99-1 and presented a number of television programmes in the early 2000s, whilst taking a break from Loose Women.
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is the primary setting for the soap. EastEnders is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work is filmed in nearby Watford, which was chosen for many of the exterior scenes due to its close proximity and the town's name being so similar to Walford. Thus, any stray road signs or advertising boards which are accidentally filmed in the back of shots will appear to read Walford. Locations used in Watford include most interior and exterior church scenes of various churches, the snooker club, the County Court and Magistrates' Courts courtrooms, and the cemetery.
Tiffany Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Martine McCutcheon from 1995 until 1999. The character was created by writer Tony Jordan. She was introduced as a school friend of Bianca Jackson in January 1995.
Grant Mitchell is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Kemp. He was introduced by producer Michael Ferguson to revamp the show, and originally served as one of the show's leading protagonists throughout the 1990s; with the character first appearing in 22 February 1990 and then departing on 25 October 1999 after Kemp had opted to leave the show. He then returned to the show on 24 October 2005 for a few weeks and returned again between March and June 2006. Kemp was persuaded to return to the role for brief stints during a period of heavy media criticism aimed at EastEnders. The return proved to be a ratings success. Kemp reprised the role of Grant for various guest stints in 2016, appearing in twelve episodes between 13 May and 9 September. An archived recording of his voice was heard on 25 January 2022. On 26 July 2022, it was announced that Grant would feature in a flashback episode focusing on the Mitchell family in 1979. Teddy Jay played the role of Grant for this special episode, which aired on 5 September 2022.
Nigel Bates is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Paul Bradley from 1992 to 1998. Introduced in 1992 by Leonard Lewis, the character was incorporated gradually and brought back as a regular following a brief stint due to a popular reception. He is depicted as a lovable loser and a nerd. Bradley quit the role and Nigel was written out of the serial in April 1998 and was given a happy ending. The door was left open for a possible future return.
Terry Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gavin Richards. Terry is initially introduced briefly in 1996 as the drunken father of Tiffany and Simon Raymond. He is reintroduced as a full-time character in 1997 and remains in the serial until 2002, when actor Gavin Richards decided to leave.
Beppe di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by British actor Michael Greco. He made his first appearance on 29 January 1998, but was axed by executive producer John Yorke in 2002; with his final scene airing on 4 June 2002.
Gianni di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC serial drama EastEnders, played by Marc Bannerman from 1998 to 2000.
Rosa di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Louise Jameson from 29 January 1998 to 3 August 2000. She is the mother of Beppe, Gianni, Teresa and Nicky di Marco. Rosa died off-screen in 2002, to coincide with her son Beppe's departure from the square.
Conor Flaherty is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Seán Gleeson from 22nd September 1997 to 22nd February 1999. The character first appeared in a special week of episodes set in Ireland, the first broadcast in 1997.
George Palmer is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Paul Moriarty. He appeared between 4 July 1996 and 8 December 1998, being one of many characters axed by then executive producer Matthew Robinson.
Polly Becker is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Victoria Gould from 25 March 1997 until 22 September 1998.
Bruno and Luisa di Marco are fictional characters from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played respectively by Leon Lissek from 29 January to 17 December 1998 and Stella Tanner from 29 January to 26 November 1998. They were two of many characters to be axed by the executive producer of EastEnders, Matthew Robinson.
Louise Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Carol Harrison from May 1998 to April 1999. Louise is the estranged mother of the characters Tiffany and Simon Raymond. She is featured most prominently in a high-profile storyline about adultery, when she has sex with her daughter's husband Grant. The plot is the catalyst for the eventual death of Tiffany, who dies in the aftermath upon discovering the affair. Harrison left the role in 1999; scriptwriters allegedly felt that the character had nowhere left to go following Tiffany's departure.